NeuLion powers OTT 4K UFC fight

By Colin Mann

July 8, 2016

OTT technology product and service provider NeuLion has participated the first time ever, in collaboration with premium global sports brand UFC and through the production support of DirecTV, the option of watching a live stream of UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 in 4K.

The headline fight was called off following the news that Jones had failed a drugs test, but had no impact on coverage plans.

Fans with a 2015 or 2016 Sony HDR Ultra HD television set in either the United States or Canada who downloaded the UFC app from Google Play were able to access this opportunity using the NeuLion Digital Platform, 4K encoder and 4K streaming CE SDK. DirecTV customers were able to access through its propriety delivery via its set-top box.

NeuLion’s partnership with UFC has seen significant milestones throughout the years. The event wwas be the 74th UFC event delivered by NeuLion on UFC.TV, the live pay-per-view digital destination available in over 180 countries.

The true 4K quality, delivered by NeuLion at 60 frames per second to Internet-connected Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs, is enabled with NeuLion’s 4K streaming consumer electronics SDK. Sony is the first to roll out the NeuLion 4K streaming CE SDK.

“Live sports, delivered in 4K, is the killer App. NeuLion is the leader in delivering live 4K streaming and we are excited to partner with them to integrate NeuLion’s 4K streaming technology on our Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD televisions to ensure the very best 4K experience for consumers,” said Nick Colsey, Vice President of Business Development, Sony Electronics. “The world’s first 4K OTT UFC PPV event will be available on Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs in the US and Canada.”

“With a focus on the fan experience, we are excited to provide our fans with the option to watch this historic event,”commented UFC Senior Vice President of Technology Edward Muncey. “NeuLion has constantly helped us push the envelope with new technology, new features and new services. This is just another way to ensure that together, with DirecTV, we are delivering a best-in-class digital experience.”

The NeuLion Digital Platform is an end-to-end platform facilitating the streaming of high-quality content up to 4K, for premium sports and entertainment brand worldwide including the NFL, NBA, WSL, Univision, Tribeca and others. NeuLion sees accelerating momentum with its partners to deliver the best fan experience with 4K being very important.

“To be the first company, with UFC, to deliver a UFC event, and particularly UFC 200, in 4K, live, to consumers is a huge milestone for us,” said Roy Reichbach, President and CEO of NeuLion. “The digital experience we create with our partners like UFC is second-to-none. We are excited to build off this milestone and continue to make a huge impact in the digital industry with additional live OTT events in 4K.”